In 2013, WWE Royal Rumble, was held in at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona:

Pre-show:
– Antonio Cesaro defeated The Miz to retain the WWE United States titlePPV:– Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeated The Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship– Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes) to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles– John Cena wins the Royal Rumble last eliminating Ryback– CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) defeated The Rock to retain the WWE Title– The Rock defeated CM Punk to win the WWE Championship, the match was restarted after The Shield interfered

Title Changes

1904 – Frank Gotch defeated Tom Jenkins to win the American Heavyweight Title in Bellingham, Washington

Today would have been the birthday of one-time AWA Tag Team Champion Red Bastien (83), & former southern regular Ken Timbs (63)

In Memoriam

Firstly, in 1993, WWE Hall of Famer Andre The Giant died aged 46. Born in France, Andre quickly lived up to his future Giant mantra, reaching 6’3, 240lbs by age 12. He began his association with professional wrestling at the age of 18, having met a local promoter in Paris, who offered to train him. He quickly became renowned for his immense size, & worked for promotions across Europe, Africa and Asia. In 1970, he began working in Japan, quickly making a name for himself there as well, though it was here that he was first officially diagnosed with acromegaly, the condition that would eventually lead to all sorts of health problems in his later life. In 1972, he worked several times for the AWA, where he caught the eye of Vince McMahon Sr; the rest, as they say, is history. Andre would go on to become one of the most famous wrestlers of the 1980′s, winning the WWF World Title once & competing in several Wrestlemania matches, including the famous ‘Body Slam Heard Around The World’ at Wrestlemania III. Andre’s health was failing in the late 80′s, his sheer size taking it’s toll on his body & he began wearing braces underneath his wrestling singlet in an attempt to minimize further damage. However, it was far too late, by 1990, he was in constant pain & could no longer compete on a regular basis, making only sporadic appearances with the WWF & AJPW until his final match in December 1992. Andre died of congestive heart failure whilst in Paris to attend the funeral of his father. Had Andre’s condition been diagnosed earlier, it is possible that his condition could have been treated, much like The Big Show (who also suffered from acromegaly) has had

Secondly, in 2004, 3-time AWA Tag Team Champion Hard Boiled Haggerty died aged 79. Haggerty began his sporting life as a defensive tackle, playing 3 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. Like many footballers, he turned to wrestling, debuting under his real name, Don Stansauk, with Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo creating the Haggerty character some time later. His first championship win in 1950 (the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles) began a successful decade-long run in several NWA territories, bringing him numerous titles, including those in Ohio, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Texas and Canada. In the 60′s, he began working for the AWA, where he was a 4-time champion across the singles and tag team divisions, though by 1964 he had left the promotion to return to the NWA territories. After retiring from the ring in 1972, he became a respected character actor, appearing in such films and TV shows as Paint Your Wagon, The Muppet Movie, Starsky & Hutch, Happy Days and The Incredible Hulk. He suffered severe injuries in a car accident in 2003 and was never the same afterwards, passing away of natural causes around six months later